Anyone ever take a 6 month old on a cruise and live to tell?

[scubagirl08]

We booked our cruise on NCL's Epic over a year ago, before we got pregnant. So now at the time of our cruise (next Feb.), we will have a 6 month old. That is the youngest that NCL will let on board, so we will just make the date. We are trying to weigh the pros and cons of taking the baby with us. We have family (the grandparents) going with us on this cruise, so it's not totally undoable, since we will have family members to help take the baby from time to time. We'd really hate to miss the cruise, since it is the Epic, and we aren't sure yet how we will feel about leaving the baby at home. Just wondering if anyone else has brought a baby on a cruise before and just how feasible is it. Thanks!

[cb at sea]

It will be fine, especially with added "hands" to help! The baby won't care WHERE he/she is, so as long as you're happy, the baby will be happy.

The only downside is having to carry all of the "baby stuff"...don't plan on being able to buy stuff onboard.

Other than that, it will be a "family" vacation, and you'll do pretty much on the cruise what you'd do at home! Hopefully, the grandparents will stay in with the child a night or two and let you and hubby have a bit of adult fun! Do book a balcony so you'll have a place "to be" while baby is napping or asleep at night.

Of course, if the other set of grandparents wants to keep baby at home, I'd go that route...baby will be in good hands, and you won't have to limit your "fun" or pay for a baby that won't remember a thing, or worry that it's too hot....too long of an excursion...whatever.

[momothree]

First of all, congratulations! Secondly, the only downside I can think of to cruising with a 6 month old is that he/she won't remember what a fabulous time you had! :)

 

Our first cruise ever was with a 6 month old on NCL about 10 years ago. It was a piece of cake! The staff was incredibly accommodating and treated our daughter like a princess. It was so cute... at every meal, the waiter put a little napkin bib on her and brought her a little bowl of Cheerios. That's a tiny detail, I know, but it meant a lot to us (obviously, because I remember that little touch after all of these years...). We were always made to feel special b/c we were traveling with a very little one.

 

A lot has changed over the past 10 years, but my understanding is that NCL now offers a lot of flexibility in dining and that will work out great for your family; you can work meals around naptime or when the grandparents are willing to babysit. I also think you'll find it's an easier way to travel than other types of vacations...no long car rides or searches for a bathroom for diaper changes; you could always just pop back to the cabin.

 

We thought it was a "perfect" way to travel with baby... so perfect that we cruised again with her when she was 1 1/2 (Holland America) and then again with she was 3 and her baby brother was 6 months old (Disney). All were great experiences. Now I'm looking forward to our upcoming cruise with the kids (they'll be age 11, 9, and 7) to the Baltics!

 

Have Fun!

Leslie

[Scrapchick]

I did it and survived! Taking an active 18 month old was far more challenging overall. You just have to cart so much stuff for a baby, but they're pretty easy after that. We took the stroller and the baby everywhere we went. If you have family as well to help, then you're going to be fine! Believe me, babies go where you take them with little fuss and they're far easier than toddlers in that sense.

 

My DD was 6 months old on her first cruise and that was 18 cruises ago. Go for it! I stopped for about 2 years because it was so hard between the age of about 18 months and 3 years. Other than that, we haven't looked back.

 

Definitely doable, especially with family to help out!

[beffiegirl]

I took my 8mo. on Rccl and it was fine. We even took him to shows at night. He would fall asleep in my husbands arms. The only part was hard was the dining room. We like eating in the dining room versus buffet. He cried alittle bit. But all in all our vacation was great. You will enjoy it, don't worry.

[Julienatul]

I have twice and loved each one! The baby is the perfect age for travel. Still not mobile but just starting to sleep through the night. Very very easy at this age. Request a crib and highchair and you will be set. Bring plenty of diapers, wipes, jars of baby food, formula, bottle brush and small dishsoap to wash bottles in the cabin. Use a blow-up bathtub (target -duck $10) for the shower in cabin. The baby will love to watch all the new people, music costumes etc. Take a stroller that reclines and stroll around in teh evenings. If you can afford a balcony cabin get one and enjoy some quiet time on the balcony while baby sleeps/naps.

 

have a great cruise!!

[jerin]

6 mo is still pretty portable. I think I'd rather take a baby at that age than a year older, especially with the extra hands to help out. As long as you keep your expectations realistic and your schedule flexible, you'll all have a great time.

[scubagirl08]

Thank you so much for all of the replies! I am feeling more confident that we can do this now. We do have a balcony cabin booked, so that will be a plus. My only fear is running out of diapers, but I guess once the baby is here and we have settled into our "routine", we will have a better understanding of how many we'll need to pack and all of that.

[rolloman]

Thank you so much for all of the replies! I am feeling more confident that we can do this now. We do have a balcony cabin booked, so that will be a plus. My only fear is running out of diapers, but I guess once the baby is here and we have settled into our "routine", we will have a better understanding of how many we'll need to pack and all of that.

MY now two year old has been cruising since 4 months old, she will be on the EPic in 2 weeks marking her 8th overall cruise. Age 6 months is a lot less hassle than 2 years I can assure you lol. I always take a case of diapers, case of water and case of formula, duct taped together with a luggage tag and give to the porters. The premade forumula bottles with disposable nipples are perfect. No need to mix, no need to refrigerate. You can buy the nipples on ebay in bulk. Check in at muster drill, have one of you stay and request the other leave with the child, 90% of the time they allow this. Take an umbrella stroller as it is easier to store and manuever around the ship. Even though your child can not enroll at the kids club at that young of age, you can get some toys from them to bring back to your room or they have times set up where you can play with your child at a specified kids club location. Epic has a splash pool for swim diaper wearing little ones, so make sure to pack a few of those. Request a pack n play ahead of time and bring your own sheets and soft pad for it. This is all I can think of for now but to answer your question, so not worry about cruising being an issue, it will be a great time and you will have many family memories to share with others when you get back home.

[jam82]

Once your baby comes, you will know better how you'd feel about leaving her/him for a week and also if their temperament would work on a cruise. You will just know if it's right for you, it's a magic part of being a parent.

 

If you go ahead and do it, you will find tons of help on this board. Of course, most everyone here is pro cruising with children.

 

You'd also need to check with NCL about adding the baby to your cabin. Some cabins can only hold 2 guests, no matter if the 3rd guest is an infant or an adult. If the cabin you have only holds two, you may want to consider changing to a cabin that can hold 3, just in case you decide to bring the baby.

 

We started cruising with our son as an infant, he is now 3, and has been on 11 cruises, so it is something that works for us. I will say that the first cruise we took with him was a big adjustment from cruising pre-baby. It's not really a con, but we did need to adjust our cruise mentality to a cruise with baby mentality.

 

Congrats!

[Essiesmom]

Thank you so much for all of the replies! I am feeling more confident that we can do this now. We do have a balcony cabin booked, so that will be a plus. My only fear is running out of diapers, but I guess once the baby is here and we have settled into our "routine", we will have a better understanding of how many we'll need to pack and all of that.

Just reber that your ports will not be desert islands, or the moon! If you run low on diapers, you can buy more in port! EM

[Megnolia]

So glad to see this post and the responses :)

 

We've been planning an Alaska cruise for several years, and now we know that at the time we have it planned for, we will also have a 6 month old.

 

Now I'm not going to book until next March or so, when we'll have an idea if the baby is healthy/fussy/good sleeper/eater etc. But it's very encouraging to know that many others have really enjoyed travelling with a baby. We're lucky though - one set of grandparents are coming with us, and the other has offered to babysit if we decide not to take the baby. It will determine feeding habits, I guess!

 

OP, you must be getting ready to welcome your baby soon! Congratulations and all the best :)

[2112]

We took a 6 month old on a cruise and it was easy. Like everyone else said, plan on bringing everything with you that you'll need (food, diapers, bottles, etc). My son was pretty good in the dining room and I think we only had to leave dinner early once during the cruise due to crying. We loved taking him to the beach and we took him "on tour" in a stroller around port. It was a lot easier at 6 months compared to his second cruise when he was mobile.

[Onessa]

Yes, six months would be a great time (we did it around 7.5months) with DD years ago! By 6-9 months babies are aware enough to be fun, but not yet that mobile to be a problem.

[SummerW]

We're taking our son, who will be 6 months old, on a Mexican Riviera cruise with the extended family this February.

 

In our case the hope is that I'll still be exclusively breastfeeding him (we may introduce cereal, bananas and a few other simple foods beforehand but are aiming to wait til after the cruise to keep things simpler), so that'll cut down on the packing. All we'll have are the diapers. No formula or baby food. We'll be using cloth diapers at home, but that's not feasible on the ship, so we'll have to go with disposables. We do have a suite reserved with free laundry, but I don't think soiled cloth diapers are what the cruise line had in mind when committing to free laundry service for us, so we'll be sparing them that task. ;)

 

We're expecting our son to make his appearance any day now! :)

 

Congrats to you, and enjoy your trip!

[DALSAL]

We're taking our son, who will be 6 months old, on a Mexican Riviera cruise with the extended family this February.

 

In our case the hope is that I'll still be exclusively breastfeeding him (we may introduce cereal, bananas and a few other simple foods beforehand but are aiming to wait til after the cruise to keep things simpler), so that'll cut down on the packing. All we'll have are the diapers. No formula or baby food. We'll be using cloth diapers at home, but that's not feasible on the ship, so we'll have to go with disposables. We do have a suite reserved with free laundry, but I don't think soiled cloth diapers are what the cruise line had in mind when committing to free laundry service for us, so we'll be sparing them that task. ;)

 

We're expecting our son to make his appearance any day now! :)

 

Congrats to you, and enjoy your trip!

 

 

Congrats on your new baby boy! I know your excited and probably ready for him! I hope your plans for breastfeeding work out, they didnt for my dil, and a lot of other women. Even if you do breast feed, I would still consider taking some formula along..you never know what could happen, and you might not be able to get it. You want to be prepared just in case..better to have some onhand and not need it than to need it and not have it. But, Im a worrier!!

[SusieV]

I'll be the dissent but I would not cruise with a baby that age. Many children do not sleep through the night at that age and I would not want to disturb other people unnecessarily. I also don't think I'd enjoy a cruise too much if I was sleep deprived.

 

My son was very active and dependent on his routine at 6 months so I wouldn't want to travel with him until he is older.

[rin1]

Thank you for posting this! I am contemplating travelling this fall with our baby, who will be 6 months in late October. We want to take advantage of the off-peak rates as I'm taking a year off from teaching. We are breastfeeding exclusively up to the 6 month mark, although I pump and we still do a bottle once a day, which promises to be a pain. Hopefully they'll be willing to clear out the minibar for me to use as a fridge. I'll be watching this thread for tips. :-)

[~earthmama~]

We're taking our son, who will be 6 months old, on a Mexican Riviera cruise with the extended family this February.

 

In our case the hope is that I'll still be exclusively breastfeeding him (we may introduce cereal, bananas and a few other simple foods beforehand but are aiming to wait til after the cruise to keep things simpler), so that'll cut down on the packing. All we'll have are the diapers. No formula or baby food. We'll be using cloth diapers at home, but that's not feasible on the ship, so we'll have to go with disposables. We do have a suite reserved with free laundry, but I don't think soiled cloth diapers are what the cruise line had in mind when committing to free laundry service for us, so we'll be sparing them that task. ;)

 

We're expecting our son to make his appearance any day now! :)

 

Congrats to you, and enjoy your trip!

 

We are cruising and using cloth diapers. We plan to use flips and G diapers. I will wash once in the laundromat on board.

[cantw8togo]

We are cruising and using cloth diapers. We plan to use flips and G diapers. I will wash once in the laundromat on board.

 

I would confirm that your ship has a laundromat on board as not all do. As well, the last ship that we were on that had self serve laundry also provided the ocean-friendly detergent. If baby has sensitive skin, then you may want to double check that you can use your own detergent.

 

As others have said, travelling with a 6 mos old is great, although sometimes it depends on the temperment of the baby. An easy going baby makes it easier to have a great trip. If on the other hand you have a fussy baby who doesn't tolerate change well, and doesn't sleep through the night, then you may want to consider putting off their first trip until they are older.

 

Breast feeding is by far the easiest option when travelling. Just remember to keep yourself hydrated so that you are less likely to run into troubles.

 

When we travelled when our kids were infants, we always took a selection of baby first aid stuff including an ear thermometer, pedialite, tylenol, etc, and our favourite go to baby care book. It was reassuring to have it to refer to incase something came up. Literally and figuratively.